Zealous Bates Tower facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Zealous Bates Tower
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| Born | January 12, 1819 Cohasset, Massachusetts |
| Died | March 20, 1900 (aged 81) Cohasset, Massachusetts |
| Place of burial |
Central Cemetery, Cohasset, Massachusetts
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| Allegiance | United States of America Union |
| Service/ |
United States Army Union Army |
| Years of service | 1841–1883 |
| Rank |  Brigadier General Brevet Major General |
| Battles/wars | Mexican–American War |
Zealous Bates Tower (born January 12, 1819 – died March 20, 1900) was an American soldier and engineer. He became a general in the Union Army during the American Civil War. Tower was famous for building strong defenses around Nashville, Tennessee. These defenses helped protect the city from attacks by the Confederate forces.
Contents
Early Life and Military Training
Zealous Bates Tower was born in Cohasset, Massachusetts. His family had lived in nearby Hingham for a long time. In 1841, he graduated at the top of his class from West Point. This is a famous military school in the United States.
Serving in the Mexican-American War
After graduating, Tower served as an engineer in the Mexican–American War. He fought under General Winfield Scott. Tower bravely led a group of soldiers during the Battle of Contreras. He was also wounded in the Battle of Chapultepec.
Building Forts and Facilities
After the war, Tower continued his work as an engineer. He helped build important military sites. These included the first buildings on Alcatraz Island in San Francisco Bay. He also worked on Fort Point in San Francisco.
Civil War Service
When the American Civil War began, Tower was the chief engineer. He was in charge of defending Fort Pickens. On June 12, 1862, he was made a brigadier general of volunteers.
Fighting in Major Battles
General Tower served in the I Corps of the Union Army. He led a brigade, which is a group of soldiers, under Brigadier General James B. Ricketts. On August 30, 1862, Tower was badly wounded during the Second Battle of Bull Run. This was a very important battle in the war.
Defending Nashville
After he recovered from his injury, Tower became the superintendent of West Point for a short time in 1864. Later that year, he became the chief engineer for the defenses of Nashville, Tennessee. His excellent work in building strong defenses around Nashville was very important. These defenses helped the Union Army completely defeat John Bell Hood's Army of Tennessee at the Battle of Nashville in December 1864.
In 1866, President Andrew Johnson honored Tower. He was given the honorary rank of brevet major general for his service.
After the War
After the Civil War ended, Zealous Bates Tower stayed in the regular army. In November 1865, he became a lieutenant colonel in the Engineer Corps.
Improving Harbors
Tower was in charge of improving many major harbors. These improvements were for both trade and military use. He was promoted to colonel in January 1874. Tower retired from the army in 1883.
Later Life and Legacy
After retiring, he returned to Cohasset, Massachusetts. He lived there until he passed away on March 30, 1900. He was buried in Central Cemetery in Cohasset.
Tower was one of the first members of the Aztec Club of 1847. This was a social group for officers who fought in the Mexican-American War. He was also the president of this club from 1885 to 1887. He was also a Companion of the Military Order of Foreign Wars.
